


The Masked

by Cougar_car



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Dark, Angst, Apocalypse, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Game(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Science Fiction, Survival, dark!fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-02-09 18:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12894090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cougar_car/pseuds/Cougar_car
Summary: When Chell had left Aperture, she immediately went searching for nearby civilization. However, what she found was not exactly what she was hoping for. The Combine may have abandoned her planet, but they had left a lethal problem behind. A problem that threatened the last survivors of Earth.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

>    
> ~a special thanks to the very talented Google text-to-speech for beta reading ;)~

Chell stood in utter shock.

 _That's it?_ she thought blankly, her mind going over and over the unfathomable idea of GLaDOS simply letting her go, just so _easily_. She simply could not wrap her head around it.

 _This has to be a trick_ , Chell incredulously concluded, beginning to shake her head, as if she were trying to wake herself up from a nightmare. She nearly got herself to believe, just for a moment, that this was all a dream. That she would wake up, back in a test chamber, resuming the life with all the empty taunts that GLaDOS so unsympathetically threw at her. But, no matter how hard she tried, she just could not seem to wake herself up. Maybe, just perhaps, GLaDOS really did let her go. No games.

After a few more attempts to wake up from this seemingly false reality, Chell began to feel a little more comfortable. She took a step forward, the strands of dry, thin wheat tickling her hands. There were all of these distant memories that were suddenly coming back to her, like the wind flowing through her hair, and the birds chirping wildly on the horizon; it was all just so unreal, and almost overwhelming after the length of time having experienced nothing of the sorts.

Chell was afraid of letting herself believe that what was happening, was _really_ happening. She did not want to get her hopes up, just to have it all taken away. GLaDOS had done that to her before, and she would not have it happen again. Still, as Chell crouched down to touch the dirt laying beneath her boots, she really started to believe that there was just no way this could not be real. Chell casted a glance back at the shed and her old Companion Cube, a sense of mourning coming over her. Now that she was outside and free, she had nobody to be with. Chell had always been fine alone, but for all she knew, she was the last living human on earth. Chell cringed, shivering the thought away, while heading back towards her Companion Cube. After all, Chell decided, bringing the Cube along would not hurt.

Without the Portal Gun, the Companion Cube was really a hassle to carry around. Chell's back was sore after about two minutes of the product resting on her shoulders. Chell was no beginner when it came to pushing past pain, hunger and exhaustion, but that did not mean it was any less uncomfortable to deal with such things. Chell did take a moment to stop and consider what she could do now, after she was satisfied enough to know that this was not just some sort of cruel joke. Chell instinctually began coming up with a plan. That plan being, to search for other human beings, and to find enough shelter and food to keep her alive. The fact that Chell was in a healthy wheat field was enough to let her know that there had to be someone nearby... or so she hoped.

The sun was already falling downwards as the sky changed from a bright baby blue to a soft pale tan. Chell had to take a break, as the Companion Cube was causing her back some major aching. _Maybe it wouldn't be so smart to bring it along_ , she muttered inwardly and silently as she stood in the wheat field, panting. _But it would be a nice weapon to toss around if I were to be attacked_...

In the event of an attack by another living thing, Chell would have very little ways of defending herself. Although, if she were to meet an aggressive human, she could try her best to communicate her attacker out of it. After all, she was only a selective mute. Chell would rather not have to use her voice, though.

But back to the point, if Chell kept the Companion Cube, she would have a really hard time running away. But, if Chell held onto it, the Cube would be a decent way of self defense. And, for some odd reason, the thought of the Companion Cube somehow getting into the wrong hands disturbed her. Chell's inner debates were bringing her to wonder why GLaDOS even bothered giving the Cube back in the first place. Perhaps as a sign of kindness. Chell smirked at the idea of GLaDOS purposely being thoughtful.

After some time, Chell finally decided to hold on to the Cube, at least for the moment. Her back would hopefully strengthen as she traveled, but Chell hoped that she would not have to travel long and distant enough to actually do any damage to herself via the Cube.

Grabbing the Companion Cube, Chell began pushing the wheat beside her down so she could sleep without the stalks poking her body. Once she was satisfied, she sat the Cube on the ground before laying down herself. As her mind calmed down and she felt a newfound peace settle within her, Chell suddenly went back to her memory about birds. She had not thought until now how she had not heard a single bird ever since her departure. There were crows in Aperture, yes, but she had not seen a single one outside.

 _Must just be a coincidence_ , Chell said to herself, too tired to ponder over the questionable realization. Before she could even give it a second thought, her mind drifted into a deep, silent sleep. And it was the best real sleep Chell has had ever since she woke up from the Relaxation Center bed.

* * *

Chell's eyes fluttered open to the sound of a strong breeze. The sky was now overcast, and the wheat waved and hummed around thoughtfully from the cool wind. Chell sat up, shooting the sky a look of disappointment. She had been expecting the morning to be sunny and happy, but instead, she was met with some clouds that had rolled in overnight. Sighing, Chell stood to her feet, glancing around. Nobody had came by while she was sleeping. Even though Chell knew the chance of anyone walking by was extremely low, it did not stop her from hoping.

After Chell had fully woken up from her grateful night sleep, she hauled the Companion Cube back onto her shoulders and continued her trek. Chell had left a line of flattened wheat to help her know what direction she was traveling in, and to stop her from accidentally running back into the shed she wanted so desperately to stay away from. Even though Chell had barely traveled at all yesterday, the small metal shack was already completely out of sight.

The wind was to her back, which Chell could almost say, helped push her forward with the Cube on her shoulders. Chell was not sure what season it currently was, but the icy wind and yellowing wheat was giving her a pretty good idea. She felt a shiver move down her spine as another gust of cool air whipped the wheat around her. Chell was sorry to say that she almost missed the warmer, recycled air of Aperture, even though this air was so much fresher. Chell guessed she was going to have to get used to being outside. But, oh, how much the facility was sheltered from the outer world. Well, when there was a proper mind controlling the place, of course.

Things continued to be the same way for what seemed like a few hours. Pushing forward, cool wind, rolling clouds.. Chell was surprised it had not started raining. However, the repeating cycle was interrupted when Chell spotted the top of some sort of structure in the distance. Chell was supposed to feel excited, as it was _finally_ a sign of human existence. But she did not feel that way. In fact, she felt the exact opposite. As her pace slowed and a knot began to form in her stomach, Chell felt nothing more than complete and utter panic. Panic, and _fear for not wanting to be back there-_

No, Chell told herself sternly. _It's not the shed, not_ there _, it's just a barn_. Just a barn.

Forcing her legs to move, Chell shoved herself forward. She had to prove to herself that she could not let something as simple as the past keep herself from moving forward.

 _As simple as the past_.

Except the past really wasn't that simple.

It shaped your future, didn't it?

The closer Chell got to the building, the easier it was to believe that it was just some barn. The structure was much taller than the shed. It was also a lot.. _darker_. Chell noticed the wheat thin out around her, the tips of the stalks beginning to appear dark and burnt. In fact, it looked as if the entire place had been set aflame. When the structure came into perfect view, Chell easily acknowledged the multi-sized holes in the roof of the barn where the wood gave away. The grass around the place was also all shaved down to crisp dirt. But what gave Chell the worst of chills was how it looked as if the event had happened _recently_.

Chell set the Cube down, her legs still shaking and her breathing still quick. She gave herself an inner look of frustration, forcing her breathing to slow. She was not supposed to be spooked by a _barn_ , of all things.

When Chell got to the door—or at least where the door was supposed to be, as it was nothing more than a huge, gaping hole now—Chell walked inside. The place smelled of burning wood and stale wheat, and small flickers of light were being casted down from the ruined ceiling up above. The place was also completely empty. Not even a mouse lurked inside. Letting out a puff of air, Chell stepped out of the whistling building. She was still irritated from having lost control of herself so easily. Perhaps it was just the aftermath of what had happened to her in Aperture.

_Better not think about it._

Chell, her back facing the barn, was about to pack up her Cube and leave when she heard a wail coming from the distance. It was one of pain and fear, and Chell felt herself freeze up at the noise. It came from behind her, and it kept getting louder, as if something was approaching. Chell looked over her shoulder slowly, both curious and terrified of what she might see. She was sorry to say that she almost expected a herd of turrets to come racing out of the wheat, chasing and killing everything in its path. But instead, all that came limping out was a scrawny dog. A very, _very_ sick dog.

Chell gasped as it let out another pained wail. It was in an absolute horrible condition, its body covered in scratches and burns and the head literally _dripping_ with some sort of bodily fluid. Its muddy and patched pelt was matted with flies that appeared to be eating its prey before it was even dead. The dog let out a whimper, dragging itself forward. If Chell would have been able to see past the starved and damaged animal's first appearance, then she would have been able to tell that the dog was a brown-and-white pit bull.

Shocked with a mixture of the most hurtful emotions, Chell could do nothing more than hold the Companion Cube out in front of her as if it offered some sort of protection. She knew it was silly. As if that poor animal could do anything more than crawl and cry at this point. Cautiously, Chell decided to put the Cube down. She knew something was not right with this animal. It was walking towards her funny, and not just because of its physical condition. Before she could step forward and give it a closer look, the dog let out a longing howl, and bolted back towards where it came from. Chell stood stiff, distantly wondering if she had imagined the whole experience. How could an animal that sick hightail out of here like that?

Shaken and anxious, Chell was ready to be on the move again. The memory of the dog was still fresh in her mind. She felt lucky that it had not came from the direction she was heading in. As Chell thought more about it, she wondered if the dog was once a resident of this barn. After all, it had burns covering most of its ragged and scarred coat. While recalling how starved it had looked, Chell thought back to her own well being, the result of that being a sick idea that had arisen from the very back of her mind.

_What if I can't find food?_

Chell only paused at that, shoving back the reoccurring knot in her stomach. There was no way she would end up like that dog. She was going to find food, shelter, and most of all, _other people_.

Chell repeated that thought in her pounding mind to put herself at ease, not to reassure herself with confidence. She had been traveling in this field for apparent hours and has found nothing more than lots of wheat and a single barn. This area was sure turning out to be a lot like some midwestern farm state like Nebraska, despite Chell's inner knowing that Aperture was somewhere in Michigan. That was what _they_ had told her, at least.

After regaining her senses and mentally recovering from the incident, Chell was on the move again.

* * *

Night had fallen long before Chell had stopped. She traveled onward until she could barely see the wheat standing in front of her. Something kept driving her, kept her going on. She was not sure if it was determination or just Chell's own fear of what would happen to her if she stopped for too long. Either way, it kept her going, which was all she really needed to be doing right now. She _would_ have to run into somewhere _eventually_. Chell had taken a moment to pause during her trek, longingly remembering the adrenal vapor that had been pumped into the chambers back at Aperture. Oh, how she would have loved some of that.

If clouds had not been covering the night sky, Chell would have noticed the full moon. The moon that her once best friend, and now enemy— _frenemy_ —,was currently orbiting around. She tried her best to keep those kind of thoughts away, but Chell still wandered onto the thought of what _he_ was doing up there. Chell had ideas, but there were so many possibilities, she could not decide on which one to settle with.

Chell stood, rubbing her face with her arm. The wheat had begun to sting her skin and water her eyes about an hour ago. She would be glad once she was out of this field.

At the time Chell did finally stop, she wanted to do nothing more than to collapse onto the ground and sleep. Despite her rather high stamina and endurance, Chell still enjoyed the feeling of laying down and resting her sore muscles. If Chell had not been trained to continue on, even in the harshest of conditions, she probably would have dropped from exhaustion an hour ago.

Chell really was about to drop when a glare hit her eyes. She did not know what it was, but when she turned over to the right, she saw a very bright white light in the distance. The shine hit her eyes again, and she squinted, excited yet intrigued. The only thing powering on that light at this time could be another living person. It kept circling around, and Chell felt a shiver from how ecstatic she was. Despite her feelings of happiness and excitement, she still felt a sliver of dread. Chell knew by now that not everyone was roses and sunlight. Even though finding a human would be the most progress she has made since Chell had started her travel, there were a lot of potential dangers rode with it. After all, _humans_ are what created Aperture Science.

Letting out a shaky breath, Chell forced her tense muscles to relax. She was in no shape to confront anybody right now, and would have to wait until morning before doing anything productive. Pointing a scratched corner of the Companion Cube in the direction of the light, Chell laid down on the wheat-pressed ground. She shivered as the cold from the earth seeped through her shirt and into her throbbing back, almost in a relieving way. Her eyes stared at the blank sky for however long before they shut. Chell, however, did not sleep so soundly that night.

* * *

Chell woke up on her right side. The memory of the light came back to her instantly, and her heart suddenly began pounding with anticipation. She pushed on her shoulder and jumped to her boots, the bottoms of the shoes brushing softly against the dirt covering the ground. She hoisted the Cube onto her back, not even hesitating before running straight into the direction she had had her Companion Cube pointing in. She knew it was irrational and pointless to do so, but Chell just could not stop herself. The light _had_ to be close, but there was really no saying. It could have simply been some sort of vehicle driving by. But the way it brightened before then nearly disappearing and repeated like that made her think otherwise.

Chell's breath quickened when the stalks of wheat ahead of her began to shorten, and the endless view of yellow tips just suddenly... vanished. Chell's fast pace slowed to a halt when her boots touched a shore, and then, water. The ground went from land to this massive expansion of nothing more but water. It closed in all around her, small brown rocks covering the shore. The land to each side of her curved into these grey, calm, lapping waves, which was nothing like she had ever seen before. But that was not all.

To the left of her, a _huge_ narrow structure rested its place. It was not unlike a maximized version of a suspension bridge. The tall metal beams holding the pathway up were tan, or once were, at least. There were a _lot_ of wires coming down from the two menacing towers made of either concrete or metal. Those wires were what connected to the once-green road that expanded to each side of the bridge. Maybe, at one point, the construct was beautiful. But now, it was covered in these large patches of rust and grit. The grime must have accumulated so much over time that rain could just no longer give it the proper cleaning it needed. And even though the site was quite the view, Chell did not even give it even a second of a thought, when her mind came to a very sudden realization:

 _The upper peninsula. I must be on the upper peninsula of Michigan_.

Chell's mind raced, almost painfully, but that was still not the end of it all. After seeing her side's part of the bridge, Chell's eyes immediately drifted over to the alternate end. Her mouth went agape at what stood tall and proud on the other side.

Buildings. Tall, grey, glass towers. Possible civilization.

 _A city_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this chapter was previously chapter one. You may be asking, 'why did you switch the chapters?'. Well, I did not think the last first chapter matched the fic's description at all, and decided that the current first chapter would fit better as an introduction to the story. At least I hope. I'll let you all be the judges of that...

The Adventure Sphere had lost track of how long he had been floating in the black, boring abyss of space. It must have been awhile by now, but he was unable to tell, as he had lost the ability to rely on his internal clock. Rick's timer had went haywire a bit ago, suddenly jumping from three months in space to a millennia. But who knows, maybe the three months was wrong and the millennia is more accurate. Because honestly, he felt as if he has been stuck in this strangled mess of empty blackness and white speckled spots ever since he drop-kicked the dinosaurs out of existence.

However, when Rick was first shot out into space during the moron's complete and total failure, he had been full of thrill and excitement. He had expected the void to be full of fire, and action, and most of all— _adventure_. But after floating, floating, and some more floating, the only thing he realized space was good at was being spacious.

And also being completely, utterly, boring.

His first response to this issue was to punch space in the face and demand to be more action-packed. He quickly encountered a problem, that being that he just could not seem to find where space's face was located. In the end, he just flailed his handles about as if trying to punch space. It had taken him a full two minutes to realize that space was not going to react to his assaults anytime soon.

He then shut himself off into sleep mode, hoping that he would power back on when space finally decided to do something cool in its pointless, adventure-less life. But unfortunately, just five hours after he sent himself unconscious, he booted up to see nothing more than a strange yellow orb floating in the "sky". Rick, never seeing this strange circular object before, immediately jumped to the conclusion that it wanted nothing more than to cause him trouble.

"HEY! 'EY, YOU! You here to fight me?! Well come 'ere and get some, you stupid light!" he had screeched at the orb, his optical aperture constricting rather painfully against its bright light. He had threatened the glowing circle a few more times before flipping his faceplate around in a pouty expression and giving up. But in his scattered mind, it was the _orb_ that had given up, being super cowardly and all. It would not even attempt to fight him! Pfft, pathetic.

When the artificial adrenaline had drained from his systems, he let out an exasperated, static-filled sigh. The core reactivated sleep mode, hoping that this time something better would appear when he booted up.

Nothing much happened from then on, though. He started up occasionally to see that wimpy orb shining its disgusting light onto him. How dare it taunt him like this, smothering its horrible yellow glow all over his chassis? But every time this occurred, Rick would eventually forget about it and go limp, escaping from reality and into an unconscious world of numbness. Now, even though sleep-mode was no more of an adventure than space, Rick at least had the ability to feel hours and days pass by in seconds. That was, of course, until his internal clock became a little wussy and broke down. Who knew you needed that thing to power off for the right amount of time?

After Rick discovered his broken clock, he began to notice himself boot up not long after he shut himself down. He could tell because he would still see the orb in nearly the same place it was in before he went to sleep. After about the fifth time trying to power down, the Adventure Sphere let himself stay conscious, as there was not much of a point of going into sleep mode when it only lasted a few minutes.

When an overwhelming sense of nothingness started to wash over him, he quickly began attempting to come up with new ideas to entertain himself. Rick decided to think about his past adventures, remembering all the cores and robots he's beaten up during his lifetime at Aperture. He also thought about his time in the corrupted core bin, and how _horrid_ and _boring_ it was. And, ugh, how the Space Sphere was just so indescribably irritating. Constantly rambling on and on about the same subject for hours and days on end! Couldn't even have a conversation with him. The Fact Sphere was annoying, too, but in a different type of way. He went on spurting the same 'facts' out all the time; all in that same, plain, monotone voice. The alternate core even thought he could insult the great Adventure Sphere! Rick promised that purple-eyed nuisance that one day he would get him back for that, and he would regret it. But, really, you can only go around thinking about the same things over and over again before it becomes more of a headache than a distraction.

And so that is where Rick is now. Alone, floating helplessly, without any adventures to be a part of. He was bored to metaphorical tears, and he knew from a few unhappy experiences what it's like to have too much time to think. He closed his optical shutters, more than happy to let his mind go blank. Or, as blank as it can get while staying conscious.

-########-

Silence... silence... more silen—wait, what was that? Rick suddenly snapped his eye shields open, startled. He ignored the small pang of disappointment at the sight of the familiar dark color he was so used to, but there was definitely something _different_. For example, he _swore_ he had just heard an internal faint staticky noise coming from his Aperture Science Communicator. Due to the lack of air, sound couldn't travel through space. The only way Rick could hear was through his communicating device, which was beginning to make a lot of funny noises. He let out a slight chuckle when he heard the device spurt out a bunch of weird-sounding nonsense. When he heard the small _click_ of a connection, he felt a sudden rush pulse through his systems. After a millennia—according to his internal clock—something _interesting_ was finally happening? Or was Rick just becoming delusional?

Rick's optic brightened when he heard a new sound coming from his device, also verifying that he was not becoming a delusional space ball. If his communicator was being turned on, then there must be another Aperture product trying to contact him. Rick felt a spark of delight. Was someone finally going to save him from this... this.. prison? The sphere sent a command to the program and to whoever was trying to contact him. Because voice messages wouldn't exactly work in this type of situation, he sent a text instead. The text read: _"hey there, beautiful. Mind taking me down from this load of garbage and back to adventure-land? I'd really appreciate it."_

Rick hit ' _send_ ', satisfied. That was, of course, until laughter burst from the machine and into his processor.

**"Haha, wh-what? _Beautiful_? Hah! Kinda weird, but thanks for the compliment. I'm oh-so flattered,"** replied a rather familiar masculine voice.

Rick mimicked a snorting sound, an irritated expression showing clearly on his face. The male voice took no notice, being unable to view the core's 'facial' looks, nor hear his silent noises. Instead, the alternate product continued to establish a further connection, one that he would be able to access more permissions from within the core. Rick made a sound of protest, but each of the constructs were unable to hear it.

_"'EY! Whaddayou trying to do to me!? If you don't stop, I'll shove ya back in time to before computers even existed!"_ Rick spammed into the text box, hastily sending it over to the source.

**"Hey, no need to get nasty here,"** it muttered a reply, the voice being fed into Rick's processing unit. **"Although, despite how much I'd love to watch you try to pull off that threat, I'm afraid I don't exactly have the time. I sorta have to collect you and some other two space junks for some reason. Something about you being stolen and used or whatever."**

_"Oh, yeah!? Well, put me on the phone wit' your boss, and I'll put 'em back in their place!"_ Rick sent confidently.

Wait, did the program just say there were two other things up here? Rick took a second to think about the statement, wondering if the blue-eyed British robot and another construct somehow ended up in space during that one certain event. Even though Rick didn't have much of an idea who the stranded bots could be, he inwardly hoped that one of them were the Fact Spewer.

**"I thought you wanted to get out of there,"** the other thing spoke abruptly, unable to listen in on the Sphere's inner queries.

Rick paused, the sudden response ending his train of thought and bringing him back to the present. Rick didn't reply to the comment as he took a few moments to reread his text, and then began to reconsider the message.

**"But it doesn't matter,"** the masculine voice continued. **"Since I don't really have a choice in this situation. If I don't listen to her, _she'll_ most likely... _remove_ me before I can even say 'wait'."**

The other then emitted a sigh, sounding rather resentful. Rick, however, took no notice.

_"Woah, hold on there._ She _told ya to get me? Like, directly? How you even aloud to do that, anyways? Cores ain't have those kinds of permissions,"_ Rick challenged, beginning to feel suspicious.

The construct from the other line let out another short, curt laugh.  **"What, don't you recognize me? Or is your poor, broken processor too corrupted to remember?"**

At this point, Rick was beyond the feeling of confusion. Yes, the voice sounded way too familiar for comfort, but why did that have to mean anything? The sphere felt a twinge of irritation at the insult, but ignored it for the time being. Instead, he continued to ponder about the being, thinking back to the robots he had defeated. Was this someone who Rick threw down the incinerator chute, now seeking for revenge? However, the Adventure Sphere no longer needed to wonder, as what the sentient mind said next set it all into place.

**_"Does this ring a bell?"_** the program spoke in a cheery, monotone voice.

Oh.

_The Announcer._

Now, Rick had never been fond of the Announcer. Even if the program was not sentient during his time in Aperture, the masculine voice always managed to piss him off, _especially_ when it came to telling him what and whatnot to do. While Rick still had the blessed privileges of using a rail, he had often gotten himself in trouble, and the monotone voice had always been the first to let him know. That was, of course, because _She_ had been shut down and potentially destroyed for years and years to come. It was only after _She_ had been powered back on had he been thrown into the corrupted core bin, all because of the record that damned _Announcer_ was unawarely keeping track of him the entire time. And _oh-ho-ho_ , how long it had gotten... From him shoving functional turrets into acid pits, to him screwing around with the power plant, _She_ had definitely not been given the nicest welcome surprise when _She_ checked the reports of bots who had remained functional during _Her_ time of definite sleep.

But, hey, it wasn't _his_ fault that Aperture didn't have any better and less destructive ways of entertaining a construct.

However, something occurred to Rick that had not before. How _did_ the Announcer become sentient? Had _She_ believed him to be more useful, being aware of his actions and surroundings? Before Rick could bring it up, he noticed a rather unwelcoming metal object hurtling towards his direction.

_"Ey, you gonna tell me what 'dat is? 'Cause I can sure tell you, it sure looks like_ adventure _."_ Rick nodded, narrowing his optic in delight at the thought of a change in this personal Hell.

The Announcer replied with a snort, a few beeps and clicks coming from the other program.

As the object came closer, Rick began to view it in better detail. Two panels on either side of the rectangular object shone forth, reflecting the light that radiated from the orb of doom. He also noticed how something kept shooting out of the back of the device, that something appearing to be some sort of gas that continued pushing the machine forward. Rick recognized the circle of Aperture on the metal plate facing towards him, the paint around the darker grey logo appearing scratched and chipped.

**"You're going to hear a loud beep,"** the Announcer began in a commanding tone. **"When you do, flip your core around and accept the incoming connection."**

_"And what if I don't?"_ Rick retorted, the familiar feeling of unnecessary defiance boiling up inside his shell.

**"You'll die,"** the Announcer shrugged, immediately turning towards the same excuse that many scientists used to make the sentient cores obey them.

The sphere didn't respond, resentfully flipping his core around once he heard the loud alarm-like noise coming from his communicator. However, he hesitated before accepting the connection, which caused a disapproving grunt from the other line. At last, Rick approved of the signal, trying his best to look as irritated as possible. He also pretended not to hear the Announcer's sigh of relief.

**"Alright, so now, I'm supposed to sync your personality into another core down here in Aperture, and then blow the one up there,"** the Announcer chirped. **"...Even though I have no idea what use you'll be back in the facility."**

Rick, who had completely ignored the last statement, let out a terrified splutter. _"You're goin' to put_ me _in some other core's.._ hacky sack _?!"_ the disapproving construct sent in a flurry of commands.

The Announcer, who Rick had just now decided to call Greg for some random reason, reassured the core. **"No, you're going to be transferred into an empty shell that'll be programmed to match your current one. But..."**

Rick waited for Greg to continue his trailed off sentence, but nothing came out of his processor. Instead, the machine Rick was positioned onto began to shift.

**"Ha ha ha, change of plans! I'm actually just going to transfer you over to one of Aperture's abandoned posts. After all, it'll be the perfect chance to piss _Her_ off,"** came a sudden and enthusiastic comment. The voice had gotten darker by the end of the sentence.

_"Yeh, and then what, get deleted by_ Her _from disobeyin'_ Her _orders?"_ he replied hotly.

**"Nope! I'll just blame the satellite program. And, also, I wouldn't bet on _Her_ retrieving you, either. After all, _She_ wasn't very happy after looking over your record.. hah."**

_"How'd I know if you're not jus' tryin' to scare me? I've never even heard of these 'posts' b'fore."_ Rick narrowed his optical shutters, skeptical of Greg's claim.

The Announcer was quick to answer. **"Of course you would've never heard of them; the scientists claimed them to be practically useless and left them before you were even built. Only a few left standing, I believe. Their old signal ports say that there's one still online outside of some big city near here, and few more in some fields.. It says they even had one in the territory of Ohio for whatever reason."**

_"But if those were abandoned b'fore I were built, then how'd you get a core into one? And how'd_ She _not find out?"_

**"Simple! Guess what terrestrial object you're currently orbiting around."**

_"Uhh.."_

**"The moon!"** the Announcer snapped, as if it were _obvious_ or something. **"I'd ask you what material you'd need for Portals to open, but it appears as if I'll have to smack the answer right into your face as well. Well, let me tell you, _moon rocks_."**

As the broken twig suddenly snapped back together inside of Rick's processor, another pang of doubt came over him. But Greg had already begun speaking his thoughts out loud, giving away more of his plan, and answering Rick's inner questions with it.

**"If I'm able to gain access over one of the posts, I'd be able to activate the emergency Portal escape conductor inside of the structure. Then, if I could program a Portal to open on the wall while the other Portal gets shot onto the moon at exactly the right time, I'd be able to launch you from the satellite and directly into it!"**

_"...Sure a lotta effort just to make the Boss Lady mad,"_ Rick muttered his text in exasperation. Greg paid no attention to the comment.

**"Then, I could do the same with the other two space junkies! But, that would be sort of suspicious by then,"** the Announcer spoke to himself, definitely deep in thought.

Rick forced himself not to let out a silent yelp of surprise when the satellite shifted once again. He tried to move his gyroscope enough to see what was happening behind him, but was unable to, due to the fact that he was firmly attached onto the structure.

**"Then again, how'd I be able to fling you in, if all the air was flowing outward..."**

The personality construct wanted to ask the Announcer why he could not just follow his orders, but after a moment to consider the plan, it _would_ be something full of adventure, and also very risky. And, after all, _risky_ was his middle name.

**"If I could have you gain enough momentum to get you past the air resistance.. But that'd just threaten damaging the satellite, and then _She'd_ be very suspicious... agh, why's this have to be so _complicated_?"** Greg groaned in frustration.

Rick chuckled silently, inwardly happy that the Announcer couldn't hear him.

**"And now _She's_ probably already very suspicious, considering how long I'm taking. Perhaps-"**

_"Now, now,"_ Rick interjected, not letting Greg continue that train of thought. _"I think it'll be a great idea, cause' of all the, oh, I don't know,_ action _? Like in them_ action movies _. Did you know I starred in one a' those once-"_

**"Yeah, okay, sure."** Another beep, another movement of the satellite. **"It's like you get more delusional the second."**

At this moment, the Aperture Science Observatory Satellite was on the roll again, using streams of air to propulse itself forwards once more. Rick shifted his faceplate to the left when the orb's filthy bright glimmer bounced off one of the solar panels and directly into his optic. Although, he didn't take any notice in how the other reflective object, the moon, was expanding in size.

**"You know, you can talk now, right? Now that you're connected to the satellite? Even though, I'd rather not hear your voice, so I take that back."** The other end went silent for a few moments. **"That last part actually sounded like something _She'd_ say, now that I think about it. Hah, hah."**

"D'you always laugh at y'rown words?" Rick slowly spoke, feeling strange to be speaking and being heard by another, yet unable to hear himself.

**"Aha!"** The satellite stopped moving, the Announcer oblivious to what Rick had said. **"I know how this could work!"**

Rick listened expectantly, waiting for Greg to spew out his brilliant solution to his problem, but nothing ever came. Rick was about to ask what was taking him so long, but was suddenly stopped when a string of commands entered the satellite and into his core.

**"This shouldn't hurt a bit.."**

Before Rick could comprehend what was going on, his vision went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I have not really made this clear before, but constructive criticism is highly appreciated. I am here to improve, and I would love any feedback that I can get on this piece. Also, a special thanks to all who have read this far! It helps motivate me to know people are waiting for the next update. So once again, thank you! I have also noticed that the first and second chapters are double-spaced for some reason, and I cannot seem to fix that. So, if anyone has an idea why that is happening, I would love to hear it.

Chell did not even waste a single second moving forward. Well, more to the left, considering she had to get to the top of the bridge before going any further. The scene she had witnessed was really not that beautiful; in reality, it was quite disappointing. Nothing lay ahead but grey water with grey buildings and a grey, clouded sky. However, Chell barely even noticed the lack of decent scenery, as her mind was full of nothing more than utter anticipation. She began running, her boots kicking pebbles and dirt up off the water-lapped shore. When Chell felt the grass thin and shift into crumbled asphalt and concrete, she sped up faster than she ever had before. Even in Aperture, she never felt as much of a _need_ to do anything as she did now.

Chell casted a glance back at the city, all feelings for caution swept to the very back of her mind. A hopeful smile filled with warmth spread across her cheeks, and she even gave the ground a celebratory kick. Chell did slow down a little when the rocky mixture shifted into road, and she had to move a little more to the left in able to jump up onto it. Cracks scattered all across the asphalt and pavement, but that was to be expected after such a long time of settling and aging. What was not expected were cars—broken, old, and rusted ones—scattered in what was once a lively mess of chaotic crashes and accidents. The layer of glass left from the vehicles crunched under Chell's boots, which was the only noise that broke the heavy silence. Everyone appeared as if they had been trying to rush out of the city, and Chell even went as far as to look for bodies. However, she found none, but was still irked to see no sign of life. This entire area just appeared to be under a major disaster.

Shoving the upcoming feeling of dread to the depths of her mind, Chell diverted her eyes away from the mass pile of wreckage and looked straight down the bridge. There were fewer cars laying further down, so it was easier to see what had become of the looming structure. A thin layer of fog prevented Chell from being able to see the whole road ahead of her, which was strange, considering it was not that way when Chell had first arrived at the shoreline. Damage was still quite evident on the bridge. Beams and wires creaked in the breeze and, when looked at with more attention, were obviously stretched, strained, and worn. Numerous pot holes on the pavement gave it the appearance of the black-and-grey spotted pelt of an animal. Some of them had turned into actual _holes_ , many stretching down into the very frame of the bridge. Chell would have to travel carefully, and the condition definitely reinforced the idea that nobody had taken care of anything during Chell's absence.

_What happened while I was gone?_

That was all Chell could think about as she made her way across the crumbling pavement. Something serious must have happened, as the entire area was nothing more than a car graveyard.

One part of the bridge had actually given away into the lapping lake stretching beneath it. After observing the damage from the intact side, Chell was even more amazed that the structure had stayed up for as long as it has.

The longer Chell walked, the more she wondered and worried about what would meet her on the other side. Perhaps nothing. Perhaps an army of people, or even robots. Maybe even a friendly group of people willing to help her. There was really no saying at this point, but there was no denying the very negative vibes coming off of what Chell had already seen. For all she knew, there may had been a nuclear war that knocked the human race out of existence.

So Chell walked, her legs tingling, her hands shaking. Chell kept the Companion Cube sitting firmly on her shoulders, ready to use it if she really needed to. When Chell was finally able to make out shapes in the distance, she shot a look behind her back instinctively. Who knew if someone was following her, maybe plotting out an ambush. She knew the thought was ridiculous and paranoid, but just making sure helped ease her troubles.

When the bridge finally began to slope downwards, Chell slowed her anxious pace. The the four-mile long bridge that felt like it took hours to cross finally ended. A useless sign laid fallen on the alternate road, one that, if legible, would have read: 'The Mackinac Bridge'. But instead, it lay to nothing more but rust and scribbles.

Chell did not even realize she was holding her breath until she looked up to a large sign that read 'City 8'. At that, and the looming towers behind it, Chell let the air escape her lungs in feelings that she had almost lost in her circling cloud of anxiety: eagerness, ambition, and most of all, _determination_. No longer being driven by fear, Chell took a few strides forward, narrowly avoiding a massive crack in the grey concrete.

The buildings stood dull and lifeless, just like the city. Chell was surprised to not see any pigeons flying around in what was supposed to be the land of free food. Most of the skyscrapers bared rectangles in their sides. Chell peered over to one of the closer buildings, squinting her eyes and mentally noting how no glass panes covered the dark void that haunted the inside of the concrete structures. Chell would have felt disappointment from not seeing anyone if it was not for her deepening interest in the buildings' well-being. Condition-wise, anyways. Smaller shops that aligned the road were covered in shattered glass and rotting wood. They were all full of empty shelves, and honestly appeared to be nothing more than absolutely demolished piles of rubble. A few even had plants growing inside of them. But the tall, concrete towers that stood identical to each other, with the tops invisible from the clouds and fog, rarely bared even a crack.

Confusion dwelled all over Chell. She had never seen anything of the sorts before. Crumbling shops, perishing roads and sidewalks... and yet these blank and grey buildings were sitting still and flourishing. Their entrances did not even connect to the road with a sidewalk like a normal place.

Chell continued on breathlessly, enthralled by the phenomenon. She did not even have to try to avoid the smell of decay that seemed to stick within the city. Although, at one point, her trance was broken by the sound of a brown tabby cat scattering to get away from the approaching human.

Chell had acquired the sense of being watched awhile ago, and the feeling was nothing but unpleasant. Chell, spooked, even took the liberty to walk inside of a gift shop, but was met with nothing more than the crackling of glass under her own boots.

Concerned and on edge, Chell clenched her hands and grit her teeth. She was having a hard time comprehending what was going on. Despite having almost no expectations, the setting she was brought to was nothing of her imagination.

The former test subject soon came to an intersection. Green and red poles that once held traffic lights had fallen to nothing on the concrete mess that was once a sidewalk. The road was still crumbled, especially around areas where manholes and drains once sat. Chell felt chills go down her spine whenever she heard the wind whistle through the windowless holes in the grey towers. Together, they all made a symphony of noise, and it was horrifying.

While Chell had been crawling through the tangled mess of collapsed street lights, she noticed a quiet and foreign noise come from a tower. Her head shot over her left shoulder, shifting her body a little so that the Companion Cube was not blocking her view. Chell looked directly into the black, window-sized rectangles in the walls. That is when she saw it: a brown cloak. It must have only been visible for a second, but she had seen it. Her hands trembled when she came to the realization that there were _people_ in those buildings. Those tall, blank, concrete skyscrapers that left streaks in the foggy clouds as they flew with the wind had _people_ in them.

Chell backed away from the remains of street lamps and stood up, her mind battling the idea of whether to investigate or not. At this moment, Chell was traveling aimlessly. She had no goal other than to stay alive. Now, Chell was extremely curious about what lay inside of those structures and how to get in them, but at the same time, she was terrified. What if those things were some sort of prison, leading her into her own inevitable death? Gulping, Chell walked towards a gap in between two crushed shops.

The alleyway in between the shops was in even worse condition than the streets. There may have been dumpsters there at one point, but now, it was all just crumbled cement and other materials. Chell kept heavily reconsidering her decision the closer she got to the concrete. The base was actually _visible_ now, but there was still no sign of any entrance. Once she was close enough to reach out and touch the building, she looked to her sides. All that she saw were _rows_ , beyond rows of just the same buildings. The sight was only broken by intersections and debris that had fallen from the shops that were flanking the skyscrapers.

Chell's eyes were instantly drawn back up to the opening where she saw the movement. While she could not pinpoint which black hole it had came from, she was able to at least make a guesstimate.

Nothing. Hm. Perhaps it really was Chell's own paranoia, or desperate hope, to see someone, or at least _something_. Chell let out a disappointed sigh and looked further down the alleyway, but still was met with the same perfect row of towers. This time, the row was broken by fog.

Pushing her back—and the Companion Cube—against the wall of the tower, Chell let herself slide down onto her pants. She pulled her jumpsuit from her waist and threw it over her shoulders. The humidity was chilly; it could not have been warmer than fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Chell had also not noticed until now how both mentally and physically exhausted she was. Her head hurt, her legs hurt, a small cut on her arm that she had received while navigating through the tangles of street lamps hurt... her stomach also ached in hunger and thirst. Chell had not eaten for what felt like days, and her body was beginning to both feel and show it.

Her eyelids started to fall, and Chell felt sleep beginning to wash over her. It was probably about noon now, so Chell was not sure whether it was actual physical exhaustion that tired her, or just a depressing sense of failure. Chell noticed her breath slow, and would have fell asleep completely if it was not for a few small pieces of rock that fell onto her head. Chell jumped, startled, her eyes sliding upwards and her breathing rhythm quickening drastically. What she saw left her breath caught in her throat.

A person. It was a person. It _had_ to be a person. Quite the conspicuous person. A suspicious person wearing a brown cloak over their head and a white mask on. _A brown cloak with a white mask on–_

"Hey, HEY! Get away from there!" someone shouted distantly. Chell felt more than _delighted_ to get away from whatever _thing_ was watching her from above.

As Chell sprinted from the building and back down the alleyway, her jumpsuit tied back around her waist. She looked over the Companion Cube, only to see _more_ of the strange people. Each one looked though their own rectangle, the eyes of their masks round and black and haunting. Chell was aghast, as when she looked back again once she got onto the street, she saw even more of them sprouting from the openings. They were all scattered around the building, each watching her, each peering into her own eyes with an illegible look. Chell was not sure what their expressions consisted of, but she was almost positive that it was not concern for her well-being.

_Is that what happened to the population here?_ Chell thought as she panted, running further down the street towards her previous destination. _Were they placed into these towers to watch the streets like hawks?_

"Hey, stop! Don't go that way!" the voice from before yelled from behind her. Chell slowed, glancing back to see a male and a few others darting after her. Chell was in shock, not feeling anything except for the contradicting emotions of terror and glee. She made a jerky move to fly towards them, fearful yet ecstatic on the idea of living people. She sprinted to the group, which she would later find out included a mixture of about four powerful males and females.

”You need to get out of here. Follow us," the taller male whispered as the distance between them decreased to an acceptable length. He kept glancing back at the masks watching from the holes, his face appearing pale despite the grit and cloth covering much of his head.

Before Chell could respond, the male grabbed her arm and pulled her along, the other three following. Feeling a mixture of panic and stubbornness, Chell tugged at her arm.

"Don't struggle," the man spoke through gritted teeth. "I'll explain once we're in a safer area."

Chell could do nothing more than oblige.

-########-

The place that the group took Chell was small and stuffy. They had brought her down the street she had came from and took a sudden left. They had jogged past a few concrete towers before stopping at a manhole. The one that they stopped at was considerably larger than the rest, and it was in no way damaged. One of the females, who had brown hair like Chell, shoved her hand into a latch on the manhole before she tugged it open.

"You'll have to climb down. There will be a ladder, but be careful—it’s slippery,” the male from before had instructed Chell.

Chell had had to throw her Companion Cube down and then ignore the irritated and impatient glares that she had received from the group. Once they had hurriedly climbed down, the group made their way through the mud and grit of the tunnel before turning towards a maintenance door in the curved, stone wall. The door opened to a small room with a few trashed chairs. That was where they had led her, and that is where they are now.

The first male walked a few steps towards the opposite wall, stopping once he found a light switch. Flipping it up with a subtle _click_ , he turned towards Chell with a look of concern and interest. Chell, once her eyes adjusted to the dim and flickering light, was finally able to make out everyone's appearances. Two of the four were males, as noted previously. The male whom Chell had met first was the tallest and wore a ripped hat, and he was currently taking off the bandana that covered the lower half of his face. He also had a beard, and his expression was tough. The other male had slick, black hair, and perhaps was of Asian origin. Both the females had brown hair, albeit one had a lighter shade that may had been blonde at one point. The group all wore scruffy clothes, most of them consisting of a dark green or brown shade.

"Well," one of the females finally spoke up, taking no notice in Chell's quick observation of them all. "Who are you?"

-########-

Rick felt an energetic flow rush through him as his systems booted up from the sudden blackout. He had no idea what happened, nor how long he had been offline, but he was sure going to let that Announcer— _Greg_ —know that he had no right to do such a thing to a core as brave and brilliant as Rick.

However, something was different. Rick could not help but notice this strange foreign, yet familiar, feeling pull against his shell. He felt an unexpected jump of warmth, like the feeling you would get after talking to a friend that you had not seen in a while, when the irritatingly familiar sensation switched over to recognition.

_Gravity_.

Rick then opened his optical shutters quickly in confusion, blinking a few times when all he saw was a burst of white light.

-########-

"Chell."

That was her name. Chell. It helped define who she was: courageous, brave, occasionally reckless, and according to a powerful artificial intelligence sitting just beneath her very feet, a lunatic. She had not spoke of her own identification for years, and when the group finally asked her for it, a few precious moments had passed before she could answer. Her voice, raspy and dry after so many years without use, made her sound ancient. Even though she had to repeat herself a few times, she was honestly impressed with her ability to speak at all after such a large expansion of time.

“Your name is Chell?” one of the sterner-looking males asked. “Like, short for Michelle? Or–“

“Just Chell,” Chell rasped again, her voice a little less hoarse now that she had spoke, or at least attempted to speak, a few times.

“Okay, Chell, we just want to ask you a few questions before we move on.” The maybe-blonde paused, giving Chell a moment before continuing, a little vehemently. “First of all, where the hell did you come from, and why were you walking through the streets without anyone else with you? And what is that _thing_ -“ the girl gestured to her Companion Cube with a brief swipe of her hand, “-on your back?”

“One question at a time, Beck. We don’t need her to go into shock,” the man with the sleek, black hair smirked with amusement quite evident in his voice. “N-no, I’m fine.” Chell cringed at the cracking, hesitant sound of her own voice.

She was half-tempted to ask them for a piece of paper and a pencil, but she was not even sure if they still had those this far into the future. So instead, she settled with responding to their questions while trying to give away as little information as possible.

“I c-came from a lab a little w-ways from here,” Chell started, making sure not to mention any details that may give the dreadful place away, “and I was al-alone because I haven’t seen-“ a deep breath followed by a cough from Chell, “-anyone.” Chell also made sure to keep eye contact with everyone to help avoid suspicion. And as much as she wanted to trust these people, Chell could not bring herself to do so quite yet. Trusting too early always led to regret in the end, as Chell has found out the hard way.

”I see.” It was the tall male that gave off the ‘leader vibe’ that spoke this time. “And the box?”

“Something I g-got from the lab,” Chell said, moving her elbows back towards it protectively.

The other female who had yet to speak to Chell whispered in the taller man’s ear, her eyes darting back to Chell every now and again. Chell shifted on her boots awkwardly, trying but failing to ignore the sensation to escape. Chell did not know why she suddenly felt cornered and in danger, but it frustrated her that she put in all the effort to find humans, and when she finally did find a few, her first instinct was to get away.

“So, uh, interesting shoes you got there,” the female whom the male called ‘Beck’ said, motioning her head towards her long-fall boots.

Chell did not respond vocally, but instead gave a nod and a small smile. Right as Beck looked like she was going to try to initiate conversation once again, the tall male broke away from the other female and took a step towards a small, wooden door that was locked behind him. Chell looked up at him questioningly, and he smiled in response.

“I think it’s time to introduce you to the rest of the team.”


End file.
